City to Finish Brooklyn Bridge Park

After months of procrastination state officials agreed to let NYC finish building as well as paying for the Brooklyn Bridge Park in a bid to speed up the progress.

The state and city officials have been fighting over the park even though only a small portion of the park was completed. City officials have concerns about the state’s financial troubles might derail the park project while the state officials seem hesitant to hand over the project to the city.

Under an agreement, which is expected to be signed on Wednesday by a state-city body Brooklyn Bridge Park Development Corporation, the Bloomberg administration will provide $55 million in the next financial year. This influx of money will help the work on Pier 2 which has been stalled for now to begin again.

The deputy mayor Mr. Robert C. Lieber said that it was about time that they made sure that the long term funding for the project was in place as well as working with everyone and getting the project completed.

Peter Davidson who is the chairman of the Park Corporation said that with major constructional work about to begin it seemed a better idea to put the City in charge of the project. He said that it would help in cutting the bureaucratic red tape.

But despite handing over the control to the City the State would still have significant control over the final design of the park which was designed since a long time but there has been no opening date announced yet.

City officials are also going to look for additional ways for operating and maintaining the park, which ranges from a floating pool to a skating rink.  The city is ready to pay for the park upon the condition that the park is self sustaining.

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